Thanks for sharing. These reported experiences are invaluable. I appreciate you taking the time to do it.

No backdoor help from agencies in Laos.

Their only hustle is filling out the form and making photos and photocopies.

Reasonably priced photos and photocopies.

8 pics for 100฿

1 copy for 5฿

Can’t recommend a particular service but I have used Green Bus.

It’s about 400-600฿ round trip depending on the seat you choose.

Bus was clean, safe, and timely. It got a little slower as it approached Mae Sai as people were getting off on the side of the road but it wasn’t bad.

Good to have you here Christov.

Robert can go suck an egg.

If they do review your bank statements, they are looking for baht/dollar/euro equivalent of 20,000฿ or more.

He didn't ask for an amount or a minimum or even specify a length of time to go back. In the end, it was all for nothing. He (and his boss) never saw them.

My entry history was never mentioned. Not even in passing. If it played a role, I wouldn't know.

I had some Exempt entries and SETVs, did a one year ED visa which I got in Vientiane September 2018. Went to visa exempt while waiting for enough students to sign up for or finish the beginner level. (Rolling starts to the program.)

Now I applied for my second ED visa to learn Thai at Vientiane.

I'll add this to the main post: I never talked to an immigration officer. I was expecting a man in his 50s, gold-rimmed glasses, in a uniform with badges and a name tag.

I never got to state my case. I was prepared to be interviewed.

Why do you want to stay in Thailand?

Why do you want to study Thai language?

What do you do for work?

How do you support yourself?

And expected to be quizzed in Thai. Maybe asked to write my name or something. I don't know.

ED#1 Thai 1st year beginner

Issued Sept 2018 Vientiane

ED#2 Thai 2nd year intermediate

Submitted October 2019.

The paper taker didn’t like that. He said “1 year is a long time to study [as beginner]”

Visa Insider says it doesn’t matter what language. To get a 2nd ED from Vientiane it must be more than 1 year (365 days) since last ED visa.

Implying denials here are getting back to back visas. (A 1yr visa is only good for 360 days)

Thanks.